Professor Stephen Hawking, who died in March 2018, was one of the world's most renowned physicists, known for his work on black holes. And now, the world famous physicist has been commemorated on a new 50p coin, which is now available to buy from the Royal Mint website.
Professor Hawking joins a number of other well-known scientists who have appeared on coins, including Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. The new 50p design is inspired by the Professor's work on black holes and includes a depiction of a black hole with a scientific equation and his name.
On the Royal Mint website, the coin's designer Edwina Ellis, said, "Stephen Hawking made difficult subjects accessible, engaging and relatable and this is what I wanted to portray in my design, which is inspired by a lecture he gave in Chile in 2008."
Continuing, "Hawking, at his playful best, invites the audience to contemplate peering into a black hole before diving in.
"I wanted to fit a big black hole on the tiny coin and wish he was still here chortling at the thought. I am sure he would have thought of ways to harness the shiny table of the coin too. You feel he cared about all of us understanding."
Now take a look at other special coins and money:
Special Money - coins and notes
1 of 14UK Crowned Shield £1 coin
Although they are fairly common, they can currently fetch around £3 - £5.50. They are one of the oldest £1 coins around having been minted in 1988, just five years after the £1 coin was introduced.
2 of 14Edinburgh City £1 coin
This was released in 2011 and is thought to be worth £12 - £16.
3 of 14Scotland's Thistle and Bluebell £1 coin
Even with a mintage of 5.1 million it is worth £3 - £5 to collectors.
4 of 14Cardiff City £1 coin
This coin features the Coat of Arms of Cardiff as the principal focus to represent Wales. It is thought to be worth £11 - £15.
5 of 14London City £1 coin
Although more common than the Scottish and Welsh versions it is still worth £5 - £8.
6 of 14EC and Kew Gardens
Dating back to 1992/3 this larger 50p coin (left) was issued to celebrate the British presidency of the council of Europe. No longer in circulation could be worth around £40.The Kew Gardens design was minted to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Botanic Gardens. Only 210,000 coins were made and is now expected to sell on eBay for £70 - £100.
7 of 142011 WWF and 2012 The Offside Explained
2011 WWF design of the 50p (left) can often sell for around £200 to collectors.The Offside Explained 50p apparently regularly changes hands for around £10.
8 of 142012 Olympics - Swimmer
Early versions of the coin show the swimmer with the water covering their head, however later versions have the lines of water removed.According to eBay only 600 of the early version are in circulation, fetching up to £3000 when they were first placed on eBay.
9 of 14New fiver (£5)
The new £5 note was released into circulation on the 13th September 2016. Notes with serial numbers starting with AA or AK 47 sold for much more than than their face value.
10 of 14New tenner (£10)
The new £10 note, featuring Jane Austen was released on 14th September 2017.As before many with the serial number AA or AK 47 were highly sought after as well as those with serial numbers relating to Jane Austen's birthday, date of death, or date the Pride and Prejudice was first published.
11 of 14Peter Rabbit 50p
The Peter Rabbit collectable coin is available to buy from the Royal Mint.
12 of 14Benjamin Bunny 50p
Benjamin Bunny was released earlier this year (2017).
13 of 14Tom Kitten 50p
Tom Kitten was released earlier this year (2017).
14 of 14Jeremy Fisher 50p
Jeremy Fisher was released earlier this year (2017).
This latest 50p to be announced follows on from a number of new designs in recent years including, The Gruffalo, Paddington Bear, and The Snowman.
The new Stephen Hawking-inspired 50p is available now to buy from the Royal Mint website. Priced at £10 for an uncirculated coin, this new design comes in an educational package that brings the science of black holes to life. At present these coins will not be available in general circulation.
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